


Reconciliation

by Zyzzyva



Category: Naruto
Genre: AHHHH IT’S NOT MPREG, Alternate Universe- Canon Divergence, Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, Gen, Help, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, I wanted to write this for so long, I've been thinking of this for so long, M/M, Rated T for swearing, Sasuke has PTSD, Shitty Title, and darker themes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-06
Updated: 2017-11-04
Packaged: 2018-12-11 17:42:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,695
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11719290
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zyzzyva/pseuds/Zyzzyva
Summary: In an alternate universe where Sasuke and Naruto ended up together, Boruto has grown up much differently. He lives with his sister Himawari and dad Naruto. His aunts Sakura and Ino act as surrogate parents when Naruto is busy with Hokage duties. He knows that Naruto is sometimes occupied and understands, helping his pretty-much-single dad whenever he can.What he doesn’t understand, however, is his other father, Sasuke. Sasuke’s been absent for almost his entire life, and he’s frustrated that his dad’s had to take of him and Himawari, along with the rest of the village, all on his own. As much as Ino and Sakura help, they can’t replace a whole other parent....Queue Sasuke’s return. Naruto isn’t bitter that Sasuke’s only returning now, but Boruto very much is. Can he and Sasuke reconcile despite their misunderstandings?





	1. Chapter 1

“Boruto, Himawari, I’m home!” Boruto heard faintly. He ran down the stairs, greeting his father jn the doorway. A couple seconds later, Himawari skidded up behind him, bracing herself on his shirt to stop herself from falling over. 

“Hey Dad!” He exclaimed, watching as his father slid off his sandals. 

“Hey Boruto, Himawari. Have you guys had dinner yet?” Naruto slid off his Hokage robe, hanging it up on the inside of the door. He went over to the dinner table, leaning on it. 

“Yeah, Aunt Sakura came by earlier. There are leftovers!” Boruto said, holding up a container, helpfully marked. 

“Ah, good.” Naruto took it, ruffling Himawari’s hair as she climbed up next to him at the table. Boruto slid down across the way, spreading out papers all over. “Done with your homework?”

“Almost,” Boruto mumbled, pouting. “It’s hard tonight.”

Naruto nodded, shoveling food into his mouth. “Good. It’ll be time for bed after-” He was cut off by knocking at the door. 

“I’ll get it!” Himawari exclaimed, scrambling down from her chair and racing to the front door, quickly unlocking it and pushing it open. There stood Shikamaru, hands in his pockets.

“Hey,” he said, reaching down and picking up Himawari when she jumped around him. He nodded to Naruto. “Message for you at the Hokage office. If you wanna go,” he continued, eyes conveying some sort of message, “I’ll take care of the kids.”

Naruto blinked before jumping up from be table. As he passed by Shikamaru, he grabbed his robe before running off. “Thanks, Shikamaru!”

“What was that?” Boruto asked from the table. “Did something big happen?”

Shikamaru sighed before putting down Himawari. Unperturbed, she grabbed his hand before leading him to the table, exclaiming, “Come sit down, Uncle Shikaramu!”

“Shikamaru,” he corrected gently, before sitting down as she wished. He turned his gaze to Boruto. “I’m not sure. It was a message from your dad. I thought Naruto would want to know. Guess I was right.”

“A message from my dad?” Boruto asked, raising an eyebrow. 

“Sasuke,” Shikamaru reiterated, leaning his head on his hand. 

“He’s not my dad,” Boruto said, irritated. 

Shikamaru sighed. “Fine. Now, I should probably get you kids to bed before Naruto comes back, or he’ll have my head in the morning.”

“But you just got here!” Himawari whined, tugging on his sleeve. “You can’t leave yet!”

Shikamaru chuckled. “You’ve gotta be tired, Himawari.”

She shook her head determinedly. “Nope! There’s still plenty of time before bed time!”

Shikamaru yawned. “I’m gonna have to disagree with you there.”

Boruto watched them, mulling over what Shikamaru had said earlier grumpily. It was true, he’d never considered Sasuke as his father. And plus, Naruto had never talked about him unprompted. He wasn’t avoiding the subject, per se, but he didn’t like to talk about him more than needed. 

Boruto remembered a particular conversation from a couple months ago. That day, while Sakura was cooking he’d pointed at a picture on the wall of a team of kids, including his dad. 

_“Hey, Sakura, that’s you and Dad when you were Genin, right?” He was sitting at the table while she made dinner. Himawari was sitting on the carpet some ways away, playing with a couple of dolls from Uncle Kankurou. She paused at the question, both of them looking at Sakura expectantly._

_Sakura set down a spoon and leaned against the stove, her pink hair swishing. She was smiling, but there was something sad about it. “That’s right. Why?”_

_“And that’s Kakashi, right?” He pointed at the white haired figure._

_“Yes…”_

_“So who’s the other kid?”_

_She blanched, eyes wide. “That’s your father.”_

_Boruto’s eyes widened. Until then, he’d only ever seen pictures of Sasuke when he’d been older; pictures of him and Dad on their wedding day, or after the war. He knew that he had dark hair, and as far as he knew, one arm. He knew Dad did too, but that he had a Chakra replacement. He hadn’t known that the one in the picture had been him. They looked different. The one in the picture had dark eyes, but Sasuke didn’t. They couldn’t be the same, could they?_

_“Really?” He asked finally. “I didn’t know you were on a Genin team together.”_

_“Yeah, up until the Chuunin Exams.” She looked uncomfortable, but was trying to hide it._

_“Yeah? What happened then?”_

_“Well…” The timer dinged, and she seemed glad for the distraction. “Well, let’s eat!” Her cheeks were red, and he thought he heard her sniffle quietly while they ate. He decided not to bring it up again._

“Hey! Hey, Boruto.” He blinked and looked up to see Shikamaru, a concerned look on his face. 

“What?” He asked, rubbing his eyes. 

“It’s pretty late. You fell asleep at the table earlier. Himawari’s already in bed. Come on, to your room.” He straightened and lead Boruto up to his bedroom. Before Shikamaru left, Boruto called after him. “Hey! Dad’s not back yet?”

“No, not yet. Don’t worry about him, though, Boruto.”

“Tch! Who says I’m worried?” A fond smile before Shikamaru went the rest of the way down the hall and out of Boruto’s sight. 

He sighed. He couldn’t go back to sleep now, now that he knew his dad hadn’t returned yet. How long had it been? He glanced at the clock. Only about an hour, but still! How long did it take to read a letter? 

Suddenly he heard a noise downstairs. Ah, it was the door opening. He heard faint voices. He crept out of his bed and down the hall until he could comfortably make them out to be the voices of Naruto and… Kakashi?

“Ah, looks like the kids are in bed. Sit down, Sensei. I’ll make some tea or whatever. Do you want anything else?” That was Naruto. He heard the scrape of a chair, then Kakashi. 

“No, Naruto. You’re exhausted. Come on, sit down. I’ve taken care of the kids before, I know my way around your kitchen. Now, what did you want to talk about?” Someone sat in the chair, presumably Naruto. 

A sigh. “Well, it’s… Well, it’s Sasuke.” Boruto stiffened. Sasuke? What the hell was up with him?

“Yes?” Polite curiosity from Kakashi. The kettle boiled, and the hot water was poured into two cups. 

“He’s coming back to the village. I got a message earlier.” He was coming BACK? Boruto scoffed. Who the hell even wanted him to come back?”

“Oh? That’s wonderful, Naruto.” God, Kakashi even sounded genuine. 

A breathy sigh. “I know. He’s gonna be here sometime tomorrow.” Another sigh, and Naruto stood. “I’m so excited.”

“I know how long you’ve been waiting for this. How long has it been? Ten years?” The mere thought made Boruto bristle. No, it’d been longer than that. And he had the audacity to call Naruto his husband? Boruto’s lip curled in disgust. 

“Twelve. Boruto was one year.” 

Kakashi sunk down into the other chair. “Naruto. You realize the village won’t accept him back as openly as you do.”

A sigh. He sat again. “I know. But I’ll do the best I can to help. The Konoha Eleven will welcome him back with open arms, you know. And Gaara mentioned wanting to see him again, as well.” What?! Uncle Gaara, the Kazekage of Suna, wanted to see him? Why would Gaara want to see his father?

“Ah, that makes sense. You know, it’s been a while since we’ve seen Gaara. How is he?”

“Good as ever. Kankurou’s fine, too, it seems.”

“Good. Now, have you told Sakura yet? She’ll be happy.”

“No, I’m gonna tell her in the morning.”

“And the kids?” 

“Breakfast tomorrow.” A sigh. “I hope they’ll be happy. I know Sasuke’s relationship with Boruto is… Complicated. Boruto is a bit…” A lengthy pause. Naruto shifted in his chair. “Well, he’s bitter, ya know? He’s angry at Sasuke for leaving. And I KNOW that we can’t act like Sasuke did nothing wrong.” Boruto scoffed. “But I hope that they’ll be happy all the same. I think Himawari will be, at least. She’s definitely curious about him. Boruto’s the main problem.”  
Boruto felt something wet on his cheek and reached up to touch it. Tears. When had he started crying?

He was just so damn FRUSTRATED that his dad could sit there, talking about his estranged father as if he’d only been gone a month, and what’s more, as if BORUTO was the problem! How could he?

They were still talking, but Boruto had drowned them out. Unwittingly he let out a sob, barely muffled through his hand. The voices stopped.

“Boruto?” Naruto called hesitantly. He heard the scraping of chairs as the two stood up, and Boruto whipped around the corner. He saw as Naruto’s face crumbled, immediately knowing Boruto had heard. 

Naruto looked EXHAUSTED, he realized, and it was ALL SASUKE’S FAULT. What right did he have to leave his husband for TWELVE. WHOLE. YEARS? Naruto reached out his arms hesitantly for a hug and Boruto pushed past him, racing out the door. As he looked back, he saw Naruto sway on his feet, Kakashi rushing him into a chair.

No. This wasn’t fair. 

Tears streamed down his face as he ran, not thinking about where he was going. As he slowed to a stop, lungs burning as he hiccupped and sniffled. Looking around, he knew exactly where he was. This was Sakura and Ino’s house.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi and welcome back! I wasn't sure whether I would upload this chapter today or later, but I decided I would.  
> On the first chapter, I received a comment from the ever-infamous g.o.d., and now I feel like a celebrity xD  
> I'm not offended, I feel as if they're probably a very young person who doesn't understand the internet yet.  
> (If you don't know who g.o.d. is, they're someone who's infamous for leaving hate comments on sasunaru fics).  
> Enjoy!

He couldn’t think about going home. He knocked hesitantly on the door, instantly relieved when he heard a ‘coming!’ from inside. That was Sakura’s voice. 

He saw her gasp as she opened the door. She leaned down, wiping his face with her hand. He pushed it away, frowning. “Boruto? What’s wrong?”

“Who is it?” He heard Ino call from around the corner. 

“Do you want to come in?” Sakura asked gently, and he nodded mutely. He rushed forward and hugged her, burying his face in her chest. He let out another sob. 

She guided him blindly into the main room, where Ino was sitting. In his mind’s eye, he could picture it. The room was bright and sunny, with blue walls and a black couch, a gray coffee table in the middle of the room. He heard her stand, chair scraping across the floor. 

“Is something wrong?” He heard her ask, distressed. 

“I don’t know,” Sakura said. She pushed him gently away from where he latched at her middle so she could see his face. Sitting him down on the cushy sofa, she sat down next to him. “Boruto, what’s wrong?”

He tried to form words but only let out a hiccup, wiping at his nose with his sleeve.

“I’ll get you a glass of water,” Ino said, going into the kitchen. 

“Boruto?” Sakura prompted. 

“S-Sasuke’s coming back,” he sobbed, burying his face in his elbow in an attempt to wipe away his tears. She gasped. 

“Boruto, you’re positively sure?”

He nodded. “Okay, so… what’s wrong?” She asked, confused.

Ino returned with a glass of water and a box of tissues, sitting opposite them on a velvety-looking chair. From experience he knew it was as soft as it looked. She handed him a tissue, looking disgustedly at his sleeve. 

“I’m so frustrated! Dad is going to want to just let him back into the family and pretend he never left! He’s been gone for almost all of our lives and he can’t just come back and pretend to be a part of our family! He’s not a part of it!”

Sakura rubbed his back as he hiccuped. “I know it seems that way, but Naruto and Sasuke have been close since they were your age. While you may not think he’s a part of your family, you have to look at it from Naruto’s perspective. And believe me, Sasuke knows the full brunt of his actions. He won’t try to pretend he was always there for you. Promise.”

“Why did he leave the first time?” Boruto asked quietly. As much as he pretended not to care about his estranged, missing father, he was still hurt by his absence. He had close to no memories of him, nothing more than hazy muscle memories of a strong hand gripping his, of someone singing to him late at night.

“After you were born?” Sakura asked. When he nodded, she continued. “He said it was too much for him to bear. This village holds some… Heavy memories for him.”

“And then he can’t return for twelve whole years?!” Boruto cried contemptuously. “He sounds like a coward.”

Sakura’s face hardened. “Your fathers were the reason the war ended, Boruto. They are two of the most powerful Shinobi of all time. You’d do well to treat them with the respect they deserve.”

“The why the hell did he leave the village in the first place? He should be here, like a real Konoha Shinobi!” He was still crying, but Sakura didn’t seem to care anymore. 

That was when they heard footsteps down the stairs. It was Sarada, steps tentative as she turned the corner and took in the scene. “Boruto? Mom? What’s going on?” She was dressed in her pajamas, glasses askew atop her face and hair messy. She looked groggy, as if she’d just woken up. Boruto figured she had. To be completely honest, he had no idea what time it was. 

Ino was quick to usher her back up the stairs, jogging quickly as if thankful for a reason to move from where she’d been standing awkwardly in the doorway as she watched the two fight. “Sarada, sweetie, I’m sorry, but now’s not the time. Boruto’s just working through some stuff. We’ll tell you in the morning. ‘Kay?”

She looked confused, still not entirely awake, but allowed her mom to lead her away. “Okay…” 

As soon as she was gone, Sakura whipped back to Boruto. Her eyes were glassy. “Look, your father’s not a Konoha Shinobi. He’s not affiliated with any village. You should be glad he’s coming back at all.”

“He married my dad for a reason, right? So why did he just walk out?!”

“He. Did. Not.” She poked his chest for emphasis, face hard. “He didn’t want to leave you, okay? I’m sure he knows what he did.” Her voice cracked on the last word. 

“Then why the hell didn’t he come back?”

She sighed, placing her face in her hands. She let out a choked sob. “I’m not the one you need to talk to, Boruto. You need to go back home and talk to your dad.”

Boruto looked down, ashamed at how he’d ran away, and even more that he’d brought his aunt to tears. “I… I know. But I sort of just ran out on him.”

She looked up. Her eyes were puffy and red, as well as her nose. She was not a pretty crier. “Well that’s even more reason to go home! I’m sure he’s worried sick about you!”

Boruto nodded reluctantly. “Okay…”

He let her lead him to the front door. Before she shut it, he grabbed the door. “And, Sakura?”

She turned, already irritated, looking ready to just throw him out then and there.  
“… Thanks.”

She immediately softened, opening the door fully and wrapping him in a hug. “Any time, Bolt. Ya goof.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed! Constructive criticism, as always, is very much appreciated!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gosh, I am SO SORRY this took so long! I've had a nasty bout of writer's block, and with school starting up it's taken a bit longer, but still... I can't pretend it's not mostly my own fault. So accept my deepest condolences :/  
> In any case, I hope you enjoy this (admittedly shortish) chapter! I'll try to update as soon as humanly possible!

As Boruto entered the apartment, the door creaked. He flinched as he heard a quiet, “Boruto?” That was Kakashi’s voice. 

“Yes?” He called back quietly.

Kakashi appeared from around the corner, looking relieved to see Boruto before his visible face hardened. “What were you thinking? Idiot! Do you know how worried Naruto was for you?”

Boruto looked down, ashamed. “I… I’m sorry.”

“You better be!” Kakashi snapped. “Your dad’s worked hard enough as it is, without you overreacting and running off at night!”

“I know, I said I’m sorry!” He grumbled, still not daring to face Kakashi.

A sigh from the man, and he grabbed Boruto’s chin, forcing it up. “Look me in the eyes.”   
When Boruto reluctantly did as he was told, Kakashi sighed and let go. “Now, I know that no one’s told you much about Sasuke, and that is all of our fault. You can’t understand your father, or what he’s gone through. All your dad wants you to do is to give him a chance.”

Boruto frowned. “Dad made it seem like I was the problem.”

“He meant that it would be hard for you and Sasuke to become close, idiot.”

“I don’t think there’s much chance of that.”

Kakashi sighed, rubbing at his eye. “Look, it’s late. You should sleep. You can talk with your dad in the morning.”

“Where is he?” Boruto asked, being led up the stairs by the white-haired Shinobi.

“Sleeping, as you should be. But I practically needed to force him. The guy cares a lot about you, don’t ever doubt that.”

When they reached the doorway of Boruto’s bedroom, he turned and looked at Kakashi. “I won’t,” he said determinedly, his chin up so he could look the older Shinobi in the face.

Kakashi’s eyes turned into crescents. “Good. And, Boruto…” He leaned down. “Don’t mess with my former students or you’ll have to deal with all of Konoha Eleven and their teachers, okay?”

And with that he left, walking back down the hallway and out the door, shutting it behind him. Boruto stood in the hall for a second, bewildered. Had Kakashi just threatened him? Deciding this was a matter for another day, he settled down and quickly fell asleep.

||||

When Boruto woke the next morning, the smell of food wafted to his nostrils, and he could hear his little sister giggling about something downstairs. He got out of bed and ventured downstairs, pausing on the stairs when he spotted a familiar ponytailed figure.

“Grandpa!” He exclaimed, grinning.

With a quirky smile, the figure turned around and held out a plate stacked with eggs. Boruto reached for it graciously, sitting next to his sister. 

“Shouldn’t you be referring to me as ‘principal’, Boruto?’ Iruka asked, chuckling and sitting next to the two.

“Nah,” Boruto joked. “Only if I have to, right?”

“That’s up to me.” He flicked Boruto’s nose, causing him to pull back and frown at Iruka.  
“So,” Iruka said, albeit a bit hesitantly. “What do you think about your father returning?”

Boruto sighed. “Can we not, Grandpa? I really don’t want to talk about it.”

Iruka smiled. “Sure, Boruto. It’s fine.” He leaned forward, putting a hand on Boruto’s wrist. “But give Sasuke a chance, okay? Your dad really cares about him.”

Boruto thought back to what Kakashi had said the night before. He chuckled, thinking about how similar they were. That’s why they’re married, he thought. He decided that it was maybe best to change the subject, but before he could, Iruka glanced at the time and stood. 

“It’s about time to go,” he said, cleaning away Boruto’s half-eaten eggs. “C’mon, up! Let’s go.”

||||

When Boruto got out of school, he was walking to Sakura’s house alongside Sarada when she turned to him, an eyebrow raised, and asked, “Hey, why were you at my house last night?”

He groaned. “Ugh, do you have to ask?”

She rolled her eyes. “Fine, fine. Whatever. I know Sasuke’s coming back, Boruto. Mom told me this morning.”

Boruto prepared to make a face when he heard a swish next to him and looked over to see Naruto walking beside them. His dad looked positively ecstatic, almost vibrating in his excitement. Boruto resisted the urge to roll his eyes. As much as he didn’t want to admit it, he was glad his dad was taking some time off work, and even happier that his dad was looking… honestly, happier than he’d seen him in a while.

They walked a little farther in silence before they reached the woods towards the outskirts of Konoha. Sakura was already waiting there, and she turned with a smile. She pulled Sarada and Boruto against her sides, laying her arms over their shoulders. Sarada chuckled, adjusting her glasses and sparing a glance at Boruto.

“Hey, Dad?” Boruto asked, ignoring Sarada’s eyes. “Where’s Himawari? Shouldn’t she be here?”

“She’s with Ino,” Sakura explained, letting Boruto go and ruffling his hair. “Don’t worry about her.”

He frowned. If Naruto wanted his perfect family, why would he leave Himawari with Ino? He shook his head, trying to clear out these thoughts. He felt like he should at least try to be happy for Dad, but it was hard not to let bitter thoughts consume him. “How long are we gonna have to wait, anyways?”

“Any minute now,” Naruto promised. He still looked exuberant, grinning at Boruto.

There was a noise, almost like something swishing through the air, and a man appeared in front of them. He looked the same as in the pictures, his black hair fanning out behind him. He wore a cloak and a sword at his side. His hair covered one eye, but the other gleamed black. He looked serious, his eyes flashing over the four stood in front of him.

Naruto flashed a toothy smile. “Nice to see you, Sasuke.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed. Constructive criticism is, as always, accepted and appreciated!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have to admit, this chapter is a little bit of a filler. I promise the next chapter will be more interesting :)

Sasuke gave a small smile, his features softening ever so slightly. “Hello, Naruto.” His eyes seemed to soak in every last bit of the man before him. He cast a slow look over Sakura, Sarada, and, finally, Boruto.

“Took you long enough,” Sakura joked, seemingly trying to lighten the mood. “Welcome back.”

Sasuke nodded. “Of course, Sakura. It’s good to see you.”

She grinned and turned to the kids. “You remember Sarada and Boruto?”

“Yes, of course. Though it’s been a while.” There was a barely visible upturn of his lip, and Boruto barely resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

“Well, should we get back home?” Naruto asked, still exuberant. 

“Sounds good.” Sakura slid her arms over the children’s shoulders again, and as they walked, she leaned down close to their ears. “Give them two some time alone, okay? We don’t want to impose. Right?” She added, seeing Boruto’s face fill with contempt.

He sighed, and nodded. She smiled and continued speaking. “You’ve got a big heart, Bolt. I know you’re just trying to help your dad.”

He couldn’t help but smile at her words before looking back at the two behind them. The parents were talking, Naruto excitedly, Sasuke with a gentle, barely visible smile on his face. Though he would have never have admitted it, maybe it softened his bitterness a tad. One would have to be entirely oblivious to not see the love in Sasuke’s unconcealed eye. 

However, this only baffled Boruto further. Why leave Naruto for so long, then? It made no sense. But before he could ponder further, he felt a gentle slap on his cheek and looked up to see Sakura’s playful face. “Let’s leave the lovebirds alone, huh?”

She didn’t give him time to answer. 

“Hey, Naruto, Sasuke! I’m goin’ home with the kids. You do what you want.”

“‘Kay!” Naruto said, grinning. “Thanks, Sakura.”

She winked before heading off with Boruto and Sarada. 

“Hey, Auntie. What were my parents like when they were little? You, too.” Now that the first wave of anger had faded, he was a little more curious. 

“Hmm, let’s see. You know, your dad was a huge idiot.” They laughed, even Sarada joining in with a chuckle. “He was always getting in trouble, and to be honest, we all hated him. When I heard I was on the same team as him…” She exchanged meaningful looks with the two of them, and they laughed again. “Well, and I had a bit of an embarrassing crush on your father. We all did.

“But, that’s before I realized the obvious. That Ino’s a hot babe.”

“Moo-om,” Sarada exclaimed, embarrassed. Sakura smiled teasingly. 

“A bunch of us girls had crushes on Sasuke. He was the coolest of us all-“ she rolled her eyes- “and Naruto HATED him, believe it or not.”

“You expect us to believe that, Mom?” Sarada asked, grinning.

“I’m not kidding,” she said, shrugging. “If we hadn’t been on the same team, they may have never gotten past being enemies.”

Boruto looked off, eyes unfocused. Huh. How could he never have heard about this before?

They reached Sakura’s house and went in, finding Ino on one of the couches. She stood and came over, kissing her wife on the cheek (did Sakura always blush like that?) and ruffled Sarada and Boruto’s hair.

“Hey, Mama. What’s for dinner? It smells really good,” Sarada said, running into the kitchen and hopping up on one the stools. 

“Hang on, sweetie! It’ll be ready soon,” Ino chuckled, giving Sakura a meaningful look before heading back into the kitchen after her daughter. A couple of minutes later, Himawari came downstairs, yawning. She’d probably been woken by the noise, Boruto thought.

“Okay, now we’re done!” Ino called, and Sakura laughed, dragging Boruto and Himawari to the table and settling down. Boruto couldn’t help but smile.

||||

After dinner, Boruto returned home with Himawari, only to find an empty house. He sighed, put his sister to bed, stuffed the tupperware with the leftovers in the fridge, and settled down to do his homework at the dinner table. 

It had been almost an hour when he heard the door open and saw his parents come in. Naruto saw him and smiled, perhaps a bit embarrassed. “Hey, kid. What’s up?”

Sasuke said nothing, though he looked around the cozy house. Boruto shrugged. “Homework and stuff. Himawari is sleeping.”

“Oh, uh, thanks for that. How’s it coming?” He came over to where Boruto was sitting, leaning over his shoulder.

“I’m fine, Dad, but thanks.” 

“Okay, just let me know.” Naruto wandered over to the fridge and pulled out the newest tupperware. He looked at the handwriting on the box. “Did Ino cook this time?”

Boruto nodded. “Yeah. It’s super good.”

A grin. “Awesome. Sasuke, you want any?”

“I’m fine.” The black haired figure wandered into the next room, still looking around. Boruto scowled, but hid it in time when the Hokage looked over. 

Naruto slid down across from him, taking one of the homework sheets and looking it over. “Looks pretty good, Bolt. You’re already better than I was at your age.” He chuckled, looking back up at his son. “Smarter, too.”

Boruto smiled warmly. “Thanks.”

Naruto smiled in return and stood. “How ‘bout you get some sleep when that’s done?” He yawned. “But I don’t think I’m gonna last that long.”

“Get some sleep, Dad. I’ll be fine.”

“Alright. Thanks, kid.” He wandered out of the room, and Boruto could hear his feet on the stairs.

||||

It had been perhaps a half hour more when Boruto finished his work. He piled the papers in a neat stack on the table before he heard the sound of a sliding door. Frowning, he realized it was probably Sasuke. He wandered out of the dining room into the living room, where he saw the door out onto the balcony was opened, the curtains blowing dramatically into the room. He stepped forward cautiously to see Sasuke sitting out on the balcony ledge, staring out over Konoha.

“Hello,” Sasuke said flatly, not even turning to see his ‘son’. Boruto bristled.

“Hey,” he said sharply. 

“You don’t like me,” Sasuke said. It wasn’t a question, more of a statement.

“No, I don’t,” Boruto rebuked. He shifted his weight, sensing the tangible tense atmosphere.

“Why’s that?”

“Because you left my dad! You have no idea how unhappy he’s been, all these years. It’s your fault; you’ve been gone.”

“It was his decision to become Hokage. It was his decision to marry me-”

“And it was your decision to leave!”

“Lower your voice. You’ll wake him.” Boruto hated how he was right. 

“We’ll talk more in the morning,” Sasuke said, clearly closing the conversation. Boruto bristled again, wanting to scream his frustration, but realized how tired he was and stopped. He growled and ran inside, upstairs, and threw himself on his bed, squeezing his eyes to stop the frustrated tears from escaping. He had no idea when he fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember, if there's any mistakes or constructive criticism, I'd love to hear it! That's what helps me get better ^-^


End file.
